Chapter 7 - The Biometric Lock
The cold metal of the retinal scanner pressed painfully against my right eye.
Marcus held the device perfectly still, waiting for the green light to confirm the biometric match.
“Open your eye, Arthur,” Marcus commanded, his voice shaking with greedy anticipation.
I kept my eyelid firmly shut, refusing to give him access to my life's work.
“If I open the account, you will simply kill me anyway,” I stated calmly.
Marcus sighed in absolute frustration and pulled his own handgun from his waistband.
He pointed the weapon directly at Michael, who was still kneeling and weeping on the floor.
“If you don't open your eye in the next three seconds, I will blow his brains all over the concrete,” Marcus threatened.
I did not care if Michael lived or died at this point.
But I knew the violent escalation would eventually lead to my own execution.
I slowly opened my right eye and stared directly into the blinding red laser of the scanner.
The machine beeped twice, and a bright green light illuminated the dark warehouse.
“Biometric match confirmed,” the robotic voice of the scanner announced.
Marcus cheered victoriously and rapidly plugged the scanner into his digital tablet.
“Finally, the ten million dollars is completely mine!” Marcus shouted in triumph.
Sarah kissed him passionately on the cheek, already dreaming of her luxurious life in Europe.
Viktor watched the scene quietly, his hand resting casually on the grip of his holstered gun.
Marcus quickly typed his offshore routing numbers into the banking application.
He initiated the massive wire transfer and confidently pressed the enter key.
A loading wheel spun briefly on the glowing screen.
Suddenly, the screen flashed a brilliant, blinding crimson red.
A loud, piercing siren began blaring from the tablet's speakers, echoing deafeningly throughout the warehouse.
Marcus frantically tapped the screen, but it was completely locked down.
“What did you do?!” Marcus screamed, pointing his gun aggressively at my chest.
I smiled, finally allowing myself to enjoy the trap I had carefully laid months ago.
“You arrogant fool,” I said, slowly rising to my feet.
“Did you really think a master accountant would protect his fortune with a simple retinal scan?”
Marcus stared at the flashing red screen in utter horror as large white letters appeared across the display.
The message read: FEDERAL DISTRESS BEACON ACTIVATED.
“The biometric scan was never designed to unlock the money,” I explained clearly.
“It was a self-destruct protocol designed specifically for hostage situations.”
“The scan instantly deleted all the offshore accounts, permanently locked the trust, and sent our exact GPS coordinates to the FBI.”
Sarah shrieked in absolute panic and dropped her silver pistol onto the floor.
“We have to get out of here right now!” Sarah cried, pulling desperately on Marcus’s arm.
Marcus roared in blind fury and aimed his gun directly at my head, fully intending to murder me.
Before Marcus could pull the trigger, Viktor moved with terrifying, lightning-fast speed.
Viktor drew his weapon and shot Marcus squarely in the right shoulder.
Marcus screamed in agony and collapsed to the floor, dropping his gun instantly.
Viktor’s armed guards immediately surrounded Marcus’s mercenaries, forcing them to surrender their weapons.
“I told you, Marcus,” Viktor said coldly, stepping heavily onto the wounded man's chest.
“Mr. Sterling is a highly protected asset of the Petrov syndicate.”
The distant wail of police sirens began to echo rapidly from the city streets outside.
The sound grew louder by the second, accompanied by the heavy chopping noise of a police helicopter overhead.
“The FBI is here,” David said, stepping nervously out from behind a stack of wooden crates.
Viktor looked at me and gave a sharp, respectful nod.
“It has been a pleasure doing business with you, Arthur,” Viktor said.
Viktor and his men quickly vanished through a hidden underground smuggling tunnel, escaping into the night.
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I stood completely alone in the center of the warehouse with the three people who had tried to destroy me.
Suddenly, the massive metal doors of the warehouse were violently blown open by armored vehicles.
